The Art of Losing

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394 – July/August, 2022

By Megan Sacia Ulrich

Let’s be honest: For most people who show horses, losses come more frequently than wins. And if the focus becomes those losses, the joy of competition begins to seep out like a balloon with a pinhole.

American sprinter and world-record runner Wilma Rudolph said, “Winning is great, sure, but if you’re really going to do something great in life, the secret is learning how to lose. Nobody goes undefeated all the time. If you can pick up after a crushing defeat and go on to win again, you’re going to be a champion someday.”

It’s true. Talk to today’s top competitors and they’ve all endured heartbreaking losses at some point in their show career. But rather than fall apart after the defeat, they’ve each chosen to pick themselves up, learn from the loss, and become better because of it. Here, several share the stories of those emotional losses, the lessons they took from the experiences, and their advice for others.

Kathy Tobin

Click here to read the complete article
394 – July/August, 2022